


The Pirates of the Great Sea

by dorulean



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: Adventure, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Con Artists, Mentions of Death, Sad with a Happy Ending, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24863278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorulean/pseuds/dorulean
Summary: This is a series of stories on how the Pirates of the Great Sea came to be.
Kudos: 3





	1. Nudge

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this idea came from, but now you’re reading it!

It was finally time for the young captain to set sail. For years, she had been preparing to ride the waves of the very much unknown waters of Hyrule. From the shores of Outset Island, she was left wondering: What’s out there? Life on Outset Island was okay, but the young captain wanted _more_ . Food and materials were very limited in variety and quantity on the island. She wanted to see _every_ food. _Every_ plant. _Every_ animal. Her only frame of reference was the stories that her mother told her as a child. Talking dragons, talking fish, talking _trees._ What other wonders were the Great Sea hiding?

Two tall, muscular men loaded up a moderately sized pirate ship with large crates. One of them was a close friend of the captain, Gonzo. Gonzo had known the captain since she was a little girl, and looked out for her when her mother tragically passed away. He was like the big brother she never had. The other man was a friend of Gonzo’s from Windfall Island. His name was Nudge. The captain took notice of how _strong_ Nudge was. Sure, Gonzo was a strong guy, but Nudge was lifting twice as much as him while moving twice as fast.

“Captain Dazel!” Gonzo called from the ship. “The ship is loaded, and we’re ready to set sail!”

Dazel smiled and rose from her seat on the soft sand of the shoreline. “I already told you, Gonzo. You don’t _have_ to call me captain. Dazel works just fine.”

“B-but...I like it! If we’re gonna do this pirate thing, we should do it the right way, yeah?”

Dazel rolled her eyes. “Okay, Gonzo. Have it your way.” Dazel then shifted her eyes to the other man. “You. Nudge, was it?”

“Uh...yeah?” Nudge replied hesitantly.

The short young woman walked around the taller man. Sizing him up. Analyzing every attribute about him. _Taller by 2 heads. Strong enough to carry two crates of cooking supplies at once. Hair long enough to cover his ears. Soul patch._ “Join my crew.”

“...H-h-huh?!”

Dazel winked. “You heard me. You’re big. Strong! And don’t act like you weren’t carefully choosing which boxes to pick up first. You have brains AND brawn. I want you in my crew!”

Nudge still wasn’t sure about making such a big decision. “I would...but I like my life on Windfall.”

“But think of all the unknown land that has yet to be discovered! Can you imagine you getting your _own_ island? Think about it! Nudge Island. Isla de Nudge. Nudge’s Islet.”

He looked more convinced. But he still wasn’t all the way there. “What about the dangers of sailing unknown waters? What if we get hit by a storm? Or raided by other pirates? Attacked by monsters?”

“We have weapons!” Dazel pulled out her dagger and flintlock pistol. “And your buddy Gonzo over there is an excellent swordsman!”

Gonzo presented his saber. “It’s true! If someone tries to attack us, **I’ll cut them in the eyes!”**

Nudge felt more pressured than willing to join at this point. A guy with a saber behind him, and a woman with a knife and a gun in front of him. “I...I dunno…”

“We have plenty of food and drinkable water. And if we ever need to stock up on resources, we can head to Windfall! As you know, plenty of sailors hang around there!”

Everything Dazel was saying was pretty convincing. They had self-defense, food, water, resources. Maybe it would be nice to see a little more of the world. “...Okay...I’ll join…”

**“YES!”** Dazel screeched out of joy.

“BUT!” Nudge added. “If anything goes wrong...I’m out.”

Dazel rolled her eyes. This time with clear disgust. “Sure, sure, whatever. I’ll go round up the town for the sendoff. This is gonna be **great!** ”

Nudge watched as Dazel ran off into the village and sighed.

“C’mon, Nudge.” Gonzo said, resting a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “This’ll be exciting. And like she said, we can stop by Windfall whenever we like, yeah?”

Nudge sighed again. “Yeah...okay…”


	2. Sakon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pirates travel to Windfall for a ship repair, and end up in financial trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so when I wrote this, I got REAAALLLY into it, so read it. Breathe it in. Hold it there for 5 seconds. Exhale. Repeat.

Life at sea began to take its toll on Dazel. The modest young woman from Outset Island was morphing into the human embodiment of a Gyorg. The desire to explore unmarked territory meant that she had to **fight for it.** The trio encountered a band of Moblins, and just barely escaped with their lives. Their ship took a toll as well, and was in need of **immediate** repair.

Thankfully, Windfall Island was near, and Nudge knew a guy who ran a ship repair service. But the ship needed more than a repair. It needed an _upgrade._ That meant that the pirates had to set up shop in Windfall for a few days. Dazel had only been to Windfall a handful of times with her mother as a child, and didn’t see much other than the clothing shop and the docks. She wanted to see **_more._ **

“Hey, guys?” Dazel began. “Since we’re stuck here for a while, I’m gonna fly solo for a bit. I wanna explore.”

“Typical.” Nudge replied. “You _are_ the captain after all, so explore to your heart’s content.”

Dazel gave both of her men a wink. “You two have fun now.” The short young woman disappeared into the town.

“Welp, it’s just us now, bud.” Nudge said.

“How about we stop by the Cafe Bar, yeah?” Gonzo suggested.

“Good idea. The sailors usually start to swarm the place around this time.”

Gonzo and Nudge walked into the bar. The bartender, a middle-aged man with graying blonde hair, greeted them with a smile. “Hello there, boys. Can I get ya somethin’ to drink?”

“I want the strongest thing ya got!” Nudge requested.

“The strongest thing? That would be blackout coffee. Two shots of that stuff and you’ll be looser than a shoelace.”

“Is it _really_ a good idea to drink something that strong?” Gonzo asked with concern.

“Oh, _relaaax.”_ Nudge said with the roll of his eyes. “We’re pirates now, remember? Pirates are known for drinking. How about you get a few blackouts in your system?”

On the outside, Gonzo was as stoic as stone. But that was just a mask to conceal his anxiety. “I know I’m gonna regret this...but I’ll have a blackout coffee as well…”

Just a moment later, another man entered the cafe. He was the same height as Gonzo. He had the same build as Gonzo. He even had the same tan skin tone as Gonzo. The only major difference was that the mystery man had a beard and short, exposed hair.

The man smiled softly at Gonzo. “Good evening, sir. I don’t recall ever seeing your face around here. Are you new?”

Before Gonzo could answer, Nudge stepped in. “We don’t have time for your games, **Sakon.”**

“Pardon me, Nudge.” There wasn’t much emotion in Sakon’s voice, but you could tell he was slightly offended. “I was actually interested in getting to know this fine gentleman. But now that you mention it, would you care to play a round of Three Cups?”

Nudge once again answered before Gonzo could get a word out. “Gonzo, **no!** Sakon is a notorious con man.”

Gonzo looked back to Sakon. He seemed like a nice man, but if Nudge said he was bad news, _he was bad news._ “Sorry, but it’s a no from me.”

“Darn.” Sakon said nonchalantly. “Anywho. Would you care to keep me company, Gonzo? The evening rush will be coming soon, and you should claim a seat in advance. They’re a rowdy bunch.”

Gonzo looked back at Nudge for his opinion, and Nudge gave him a glare that said _be careful_. “Sure, I’ll join you.” Gonzo said.

The evening rush came flooding in like the Great Sea itself, and Sakon was **not** lying. There were sailors **everywhere.** They were loud. Rude. Blunt. Some had passed out already. Some were picking fights. Nudge and Gonzo were starting to feel the effects of the blackout coffee. Sakon on the other hand...was perfectly fine.

Gonzo wrapped his arm around Sakon’s shoulders. “Y’know, Sakon? When I first met ya, ya made me feel things. Things that I’ve never felt before for another man.”

Sakon cracked a soft smile and rubbed Gonzo’s forearm. “I’ll take that as a complement. By the by, do you still want to play that game I told you about earlier? Now would be a good time with everyone here.”

“Of course!” Gonzo said without a second, or even first, thought. **“HEY, EVERYONE! I’M GONNA PLAY SAKON’S GAME!”**

The sailors all crowded around the table where Gonzo and Sakon sat. 

Sakon pulled out 3 cups, 2 black chips, and 1 red chip. “I’m going to put these chips under these cups, mix them up, and all you have to do is find the red chip. Sound easy?”

“Yeah, yeah, sounds easy.” Gonzo eagerly answered.

Sakon slowly mixed the cups around, and Gonzo’s eyes lazily followed the one he thought possessed the red chip.

Sakon finished. “Okay, Gonzo. Where is the red chip?”

Gonzo’s eyes had gotten lost somewhere. He was unsure if it was the first cup, or the third cup. Maybe even the second cup. Gonzo carefully pointed to the first cup.

Sakon lifted the cup, and there it was. The red chip. The sailors roared and applauded Gonzo. Even Nudge was clapping.

“See?” Sakon said with the twitch of his eyebrows. “Wasn’t that easy? How about we up the ante?”

“Up the ante?” Gonzo repeated.

“Yes. You can pay me how many rupees you want. If you win, I’ll double your rupees. But if you lose, I keep the rupees. Sound fair?”

**“H-hey!”** Nudge called from the crowd. “What did I tell you, S-Sakon!”

“What do you mean, Nudge?” Sakon questioned. “Gonzo is amazing at this game. I’ve never had someone win on their first try before. He’ll be walking away with rupees falling out of his pants.”

“Yeah, Nudge!” Gonzo agreed. “Rupees falling outta my pants! Now let’s play!”

Gonzo...was wrong. Very, very wrong. The rupees he had slowly disappeared. Then Nudge’s rupees suffered the same fate. Sakon had struck again.

\----------

**“YOU DID WHAT?!”** Dazel screamed at the top of her lungs. “YOU **IDIOTS!** HOW COULD YOU FALL FOR SUCH AN OBVIOUS SCAM?!”

Gonzo had a tear in his eye. “I’m sorry, Captain Dazel…”

“Where is this _Sakon_ guy at now?!”

“He only comes to the Cafe Bar in the evenings.” Nudge explained. “We’ll have to wait until nightfall.”

“I want him **NOW!”** Dazel shouted. “He’s gotta live on the island somewhere!”

Dazel asked everyone in town for the whereabouts of the Great Scammer Sakon. **Everyone.** But no one had the answer. It was strange. How could some be so well-known, yet nobody knows where he lives? Dazel’s only choice was to wait for night to come.

When the sun went down, and the moon came up, Dazel was the last one in the Cafe Bar. She wanted to make sure Sakon was there. She completely ignored whatever the bartender said to her upon walking in, and walked directly over to a table surrounded by sailors. She tapped the arm of a large man standing in front of her.

“Huh?” the man said, unaware of who tapped him until he looked down. He stared at Dazel, confused as to why she was in the Cafe Bar to begin with. “Uh...can I help you?”

“Yeah, you can help me.” Dazel bluntly spat. “Sakon. I need him.”

The sailor stepped aside and pointed the man at the center of the crowd. “Hey, Sakon! Some girl wants to see you!”

Sakon had just finished up another game, leaving another man broke, and his pockets thicker. “Hello, there. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve met before.”

Dazel snapped her finger and Gonzo and Nudge were suddenly by her side.

Sakon got the message. “Oh, I see. You two went and got your little sister because you lost all of your money.”

**“YOU CONNED US!”** Gonzo erupted.

Dazel lifted a finger to silence Gonzo. “I wanna play your game.”

“Of course you do.” Sakon softly chuckled.

The entire bar was silent. The sailors opened a path for Dazel to sit directly across from Sakon. The young captain took her seat and pulled the chair closer to the table. “Let’s set some ground rules first.”

“I’m listening.”

“If I win, you give my crew back their money.”

“And if I win?”

“You get every rupee I have...and this.” Dazel pulled out a small necklace with a golden triangle at the end of it. “My mother gave this to me. She said it’s been passed down in our family for ages.”

**“HUH?!”** Gonzo and Nudge shrieked. **“CAPTAIN DAZEL-”**

Dazel gave them her signature wink. “It’s fine, guys. I got this.”

“Deal.” Sakon said with zero hesitation. “The rules are simple. Follow the red chip.”

Sakon began to shuffle around the cups. It seemed like he was going faster than usual. Gonzo and Nudge had already lost track of where the red chip was, but Dazel’s eyes were laser focused on one cup.

Sakon lifted his hands off of the cups. “Pick your poison, girlie.”

Dazel confidently pointed to the middle cup. “It’s that one.”

Sakon raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? If the chip is black, you lose everything.”

“You can’t pressure me. I’m not _stupid.”_

That caught Sakon off guard, but he was trained to keep a straight face. “If you say so.” Sakon lifted the cup...and it was a black chip. “Oh no...looks like you lost-”

“Flip it over.”

Sakon froze. “I’m sorry, but that’s not how the game works. You lost.”

Dazel was unfazed. “Then you won’t have an issue flipping the chip over. Now flip. It. Over.”

“Ye, flip it over!” One of the sailors said.

“Just do it so you can take her rupees!” said another.

A bead of sweat started to roll down Sakon’s head, but that face of his was unreadable. His hand slowly touched the chip.

**“Flip it.”** Dazel growled through her teeth.

Sakon did as the young captain said...and the chip’s backside was revealed. It was red.

The bar went silent. Even the bartender’s jaw dropped.

“Now,” Dazel smirked. “Give my crew their rupees back so we can get outta here.”

**“AND GIMME BACK MY RUPEES, TOO!”** an angry sailor.

**“YA FILTHY LITTLE SEA RAT!”** another joined.

**“YOUR NOT WALKIN’ OUTTA HERE ALIVE, SAKON!”** shouted the angriest of all the voices.

Sakon was cornered. The group of angry, musclebound sailors were closing in on him. “I-I-I’ll refund all of y-you! Just t-tell-”

**“NO!”** a sailor jumped from the crowd and pinned Sakon against the wall. “Yer gonna give us our rupees back. Then ya have a week to get off this island, or we’ll make sure ya _can’t_ come back.”

For the first time, Sakon showed fear. “...U-understood…”

\----------

A week went by, and Dazel’s new and improved ship was ready. She had just the right amount to pay it off too. Before they departed though, a familiar, but _unwelcomed_ face showed up. Sakon.

“What do _you_ want, _liar?”_ Dazel said with no sympathy in her voice. “Shouldn’t you be getting off the island now? A week has passed.”

“I should, but…” Sakon’s face was still unreadable, but he had a glaze of tears in his eyes. “Do you mind listening to my story?”

Dazel rolled her eyes. “Humor me.”

“You see, I was very poor growing up on Windfall. And seeing how the economic system of this island functions, it probably won’t be a surprise to you that growing up was rough. Once you’re born at the bottom, climbing to the top is impossible. I had to survive. I found a way to make money, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like...nothing. I deeply apologize for what I did to your crew. Please understand.”

Dazel’s gaze never left Sakon’s eyes. “You know what? There’s something special about you, Sakon.”

“And that is?”

“You have a talent for talking. The way you form sentences. The words you choose. You could work a bit on showing emotion, but you can get a point across. I bet you could bring the most cold-hearted demon to tears.”

Sakon wasn’t expecting this. He wasn’t expecting this at all. His initial plan was to hitch a ride then abandon them at some point, but maybe he should see this out. “Thank you.”

Dazel extended her hand. “Dazel.”

Sakon extended his. “Sakon.”

“No, it’s not.” Dazel corrected. “Tell me your _real_ name.”

Sakon laughed. Not a snarky or condescending laugh. A real laugh. “You are very wise, young lady. It’s Senza.”

“Nice to meet you, Senza. Welcome to the crew.”


	3. Mako

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dazel has morning sickness, and Senza and Nudge have to find her a medicinal plant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno what to say...next chapter.

Many unexpected things happened over the months. The pirates had found unmarked land, naming it Bomb Island due to its shape. They became better fighters, fending off enemy pirates with ease. They even made some rivals. The most unexpected achievement of all was-

-Dazel was pregnant.

Dazel insisted that she was fit to stay on the front lines of adventure, but Gonzo wasn’t letting that happen. Dazel was often sidelined when it came to new adventures, and it left her feeling unfulfilled. The entire point of becoming a pirate was to be free. No rules. No limits. A new adventure every day. Whenever she found herself feeling this way, she thought of her baby. And that was enough for her.

Their current mission was directly related to the pregnant captain though. They sailed to the Forest Haven. The Forest Haven was known to house all kinds of mysterious natural resources. Water that cleanses skin in minutes, clovers that taste like apples, and mushrooms that make you grow temporarily.

The pirates set their eyes on a specific plant. The elusive Kokiri Lily. They sell for a fortune on Windfall, and only grow in the Forest Haven. Dazel had severe morning sickness, and legend had it that the flowers can suppress any illness.

Gonzo volunteered, more like demanded, to stay with Dazel, while Senza and Nudge went to search for the Kokiri Lily.

Both men were absolutely blown away by the inside of the Forest Haven. It looked like a real-life fairytale. The plants were so green. They  _ smelled _ so green. Fireflies flickered in every nook and cranny. And in the center... **a giant talking tree.**

“More Hylians?” the tree asked. “The Hylian with the glasses said he was alone.”

Senza and Nudge were still trying to make sense of the giant talking tree. It was a giant. Talking.  **Tree.**

“Excuse me, your massiveness.” Senza politely said. “I have no idea who this other Hylian is, but we have traveled from afar in search of the mythic Kokiri Lily.”

“Kokiri Lily?” the tree echoed. “Hm...it’s been so long since I’ve seen one of those. They are very rare, here in the Forest Haven. Perhaps one of my Koroks could direct you to the right place. Makar!” The large tree began to shake its branches, and out dropped a creature of the forest.

“Yahaha~!” Makar sang. “The Great Deku Tree has instructed me to show you the way to the nearest Kokiri Lily!” A leafy propeller grew out of Makar’s back. “Follow me~!”

The Korok led the two pirates to a small cave. Inside, another Korok, and that  _ other _ Hylian that the Great Deku Tree was referring to.

“Hollo~!” Makar called to the other Korok. “These two are looking for a Kokiri Lily! Do you have any?”

“Actually, this gentleman is looking for the same plant as well.” Hollo answered.

Senza analyzed the Hylian. He was short. Wore thick round glasses and a lab coat. Had white hair, but his age was hard to pinpoint.

“Excuse me, sir?” Senza asked with his signature soft smile. “Since we are both looking for the Kokiri Lily, would you like to partner up to find it?”

“...Oh...sure…” the man responded quietly.

“That settles it then~!” Makar chimed. “We’re a party of five~! On a hunt for the Kokiri Lily~!”

“Sorry...party of four.” Hollo said. “I have to get back to making potions. If you need me, you know where to find me. It was nice meeting you, Mako!”

“...It was nice meeting you, too…” the short man responded.

“Okay, party of four!” Makar announced. “Let’s  **goooooo~!”**

Makar was lost in his own world, singing songs about the forest as he hovered through the weeds and vines of the Forest Haven. Senza and Nudge were curious about their new acquaintance, Mako.

“Mako, right?” Nudge said with an elbow to the shorter man’s temple.

Mako adjusted his glasses. “Um...yes?”

“What’s your deal? What’s a guy like you doin’ in a place like this?”

“I-I-I’m a potion maker...I b-brew potions…”

“Nice! I knew you had to be into some kinda science-y stuff.” Nudge leaned over and whispered into Senza’s ear. “This guy is clearly looking for the lily for the same reason as us. If he finds one first, he’ll take it for himself. Think you can use that sweet-talking schtick of yours to get us the lily?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Senza switched sides with Nudge. Now Senza was beside Mako. “Hey, there.”

Mako didn’t make eye contact. “H-hello…”

“I apologize if I’m making you uncomfortable, but I have an important question for you.”

“Yes…?”

Senza pointed to a glowing green moss that coated a nearby wall. “Is that stuff on the wall Deku moss? And is it toxic?”

“Yes and no. Deku moss isn’t necessarily  _ toxic, _ but inhaling it will induce at  _ least _ 6 hours of sleep.”

Senza snickered under his breath at his ability to get Mako to talk. “How on Earth did you learn these things? I’m no scientist, but I enjoy learning about the world.”

“I’ve been studying natural remedies for years.”

“Interesting.” Senza said, massaging his beard. “The Kokiri Lily is known to cure many illnesses, yet there’s seemingly no explanation why.”

“Actually I have a theory.” Mako said with the adjustment of his glasses. “There’s a high level of Dekunium O inside of the Kokiri Lily. There’s also moderate levels of Korokium W. My theory is that the Dekunium O and Korokium W react with each other to create the legendary suppressant we know today.”

“You are a very smart man, Mako.”

“Thank you, uh...what’s your name?”

‘Sakon.” Senza extended his hand to Mako. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Nudge watched in awe as Senza pulled the shy man out of his shell. Dazel made the right choice recruiting him.

“Here we are~!” Makar announced to the team. They arrive in a section of the haven that was decently secluded from the rest of the forest. But there it was. Bright, green, and vibrant. The Kokiri Lily.  _ A _ Kokiri Lily. A single Kokiri Lily.

All three men swapped looks.  _ Who was gonna take it? _

“Go ahead and take it, Mako.” Senza surrendered. “Someone as intelligent as you could surely put that Kokiri Lily to good use.”

Nudge raised an eyebrow at Senza, but Senza quelled his worries with a wink similar to Dazel’s. He had everything under control.

Mako took the opportunity to collect his prize.

“There must be another one somewhere.” Senza added. “I can’t bear to see Captain Dazel vomit anymore.”

Mako stopped before picking the flower. “Vomit?”

“Oh, yes. Our captain has come down with a bad case of pregnancy. She spends the mornings puking her guts up. We would give her some generic medicine, but we want the best for the baby.”

Mako looked back to the Kokiri Lily. He had it within arms reach. Was he really going to give up one of the most powerful plants in all of Hyrule to complete strangers? Mako took a few steps away from the plant. “If you want it...take it…” He was. “Me and an old friend of mine planned on opening a shop on Windfall...but I don’t wanna be the reason a pregnant woman is in pain…”

Senza’s poker face was strong, but he was doing backflips on the inside. “Thank you so much. I will never forget this good deed you have done.”

Mako sighed. “You’re welcome. I guess I can’t open that potion shop now…”

Nudge and Senza felt bad for taking the lily from Mako. Not bad enough to give it up, but still, they felt bad.

“We just crushed a dude’s dreams.” Nudge whispered.

“Dazel is sick though.” Senza replied.

Nudge looked over Senza’s shoulder at the shorter man. “Maybe we could use him in our crew.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He’s clearly got a lotta brains. Enough brains to know about all this potion-y business. Plus, we have an empty room for him on board. I don’t see why not.”

Senza looked back at Mako. “You want me to do my thing?”

Nudge gave Senza the thumbs up. “Do your thing.”

Senza approached Mako and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Mako? Me and my friend over there thought things over, and we have a really big favor to ask.”

“A...favor?”

Senza’s smile grew a centimeter. “Yes. We would like you to join our pirate crew as the Head Potion Maker.”


	4. Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pirates visit Dragon Roost Island for some bomb flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4! Here we go!

Mako adjusted to the pirate life just fine. He showed the crew that he was knowledgeable of many things. He knew how to build. He knew what to do in a medical emergency. He even delivered Dazel’s baby: Tetra.

After the birth of Tetra, Dazel still wasn’t fit to get back on the front lines of adventure. Tetra was in her arms from sunrise to sunset. She missed the rush of exploring a cave full of treasure and warding off the Keese that lived inside, but Tetra was a completely different breed of adventure. She was watching a life begin. And she loved every second of it.

The pirates next destination was Dragon Roost Island, home of the bomb flower. Mako built a custom catapult for the ship that worked wonders, and a little extra  **boom** would be perfect for sinking ships.

On the shores of Dragon Roost Island, Nudge spotted a man from the crow’s nest. He was short like Mako, but had large, brown sideburns, and deep, intimidating eyes. Most importantly, he was waving around an SOS sign. “Captain Dazel! There’s a guy on shore with an SOS sign!”

Dazel was occupied with feeding Tetra. “We have four grown men, a mother, and a baby! Does it look like we have any space to help someone out?!”

“We actually have a spare room left! It’s tiny, but it’s still a room!”

Dazel rolled her eyes. “And what will he eat?”

Nudge shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.”

Dazel let out a hefty sigh. “Fiiine...let’s see what this guy is about.”

When the ship stopped at the shoreline, Nudge and Mako went to collect as many bomb flowers as they could. Gonzo and Senza stayed behind with the captain to question the man who signaled for help.

“What’s your name?” Gonzo asked sternly.

The man stared blankly at the first mate, then blinked.

“What? Are ya mute? I asked for your name!”

Once again, the man did nothing but blink.

“This is getting us nowhere!” Gonzo cried.

“How about asking nicely, you big jerk.” Senza playfully remarked. “I apologize on his behalf, sir. He can be...dramatic at times.”

**“I AM** **_NOT_ ** **DRAMATIC!”** Gonzo roared, partially proving Senza’s point.

Senza continued. “My name is Senza. Could I trouble you for your name?”

“...Zuko…” the man mumbled.

“Nice to meet you, Zuko. Do you mind telling us how you ended up on Dragon Roost to begin with?”

Zuko answered by looking away from Senza.

“At least you got his name.” Gonzo said. “Hey, buddy! How about you tell us where ya wanna go, yeah? We can’t be carrying deadweight.”

Once again, Zuko remained silent.

“That’s it...I’m outta here…” Gonzo walked over to see Tetra, leaving Senza alone with Zuko.

“Thanks for all the help, Gonzy!” Senza said sarcastically. “You’re a strange character. I’m sure you have a story to tell. I can see it in your eyes.”

Zuko held eye contact with Senza until something else caught his attention. He jumped off the ship and started walking away.

Of all people to go after him, it was Dazel. She handed baby Tetra to Gonzo and jumped off the ship.  **“Hey! Where’re you going?!”**

Zuko paid the pirate captain no mind and kept walking.

“You have some nerve boarding my ship then leaving like that! I have a baby on board! For all I know, you could’ve been a murderer or something!”

Zuko kept his mouth shut, and kept walking. He didn’t seem like he wanted Dazel to leave though. In fact, it was like he was  _ leading _ her somewhere. Dazel wasn’t a fool. If by any chance this  _ was _ an attack, she had her flintlock pistol ready to go.

Zuko stopped at a cave entrance and pointed to the inside. “Inside.” he mumbled.

“So you know more words than your name?” Dazel snarkily remarked. “Isn’t this where the Rito live?”

Zuko nodded, then pointed to the cave again.

Dazel kept her hand on her pistol though. “You first. I don’t trust ya.”

Zuko held his eyes on Dazel for a few seconds before taking the first steps into the cave. Dazel followed close behind. And just like Zuko confirmed, there were Rito  _ everywhere. _

“Zuko!” One of the Rito guards greeted. “I see you found your friends!”

Zuko shook his head and pointed to Dazel. “Bomb flower.”

Dazel put the pieces together in her head. Zuko led her up there to get more bomb flowers. She felt a bit embarrassed with how rash she was treating him.

“You want bomb flowers?” the Rito guard asked Dazel. “We have plenty of them near Dragon Roost Cavern. But you’ll have to get the chieftain’s blessing before you go.”

The Rito guard escorted Dazel and Zuko to a large room with a large bed in the middle of it. A Rito man sat on the side of the bed, massaging the arm of a Rito woman who was holding a baby.

“Chieftain!” the Rito guard called. “We have a visitor in need of bomb flowers from the bomb garden.”

Dazel’s attention was stolen by the baby Rito in the mother’s arms. “Look how small that baby is…”

The Rito mother smiled. “He’s only a few months old.”

“Seriously?  _ My  _ baby is only a few months old!”

“Aren’t they just the sweetest little things in the world?”

“Yes, they are! What’s his name?”

“Komali.”

Dazel knelt down on the opposite side of the bed. “Hello, little Komali. I have a baby  _ juuust _ like you. Maybe someday you’ll meet each other.”

Zuko cleared his throat to redirect Dazel’s attention.

“Allow me to lead you to the bomb flower garden.” the Chieftain said.

The Rito Chieftain led Dazel and Zuko to a small canyon with a pond. Dazel had never seen so many bomb flowers in one place. Zuko helped Dazel pick every flower and load them into a sack. But something in the distance caught his eye. Without a word, he was climbing a cliff toward Dragon Roost Cavern.

“What on Earth are you doing now?!” Dazel snapped.

Zuko, wordlessly, disappeared over the cliff.

Dazel had everything she needed. Why was she still wasting her time with this guy? But before Dazel could book it out of there, Zuko came back to the edge of the cliff with an armful of rupees.

Dazel was amazed. “Look at all those rupees! And do I see a silver one?”

Zuko nodded. Without a word, of course.

The pair hauled their bombs and rupees back to the ship where the pirates waited impatiently.

“Captain Dazel!” Gonzo cried. “We thought somethin’ happened! We were about to come lookin’ for you!”

Dazel hopped back onto the ship and took her crying baby from Gonzo. “We were gone for an hour! If something  _ did _ happen, you’d be too late!”

All of the pirates loaded everything on board, and they were ready to hit the high seas again. There was one little problem left though. Zuko.

“What are we gonna do with him?” Mako asked.

Dazel shrugged. “I dunno, but he better start talking, or he’s gonna wish he stayed on Dragon Roost.”

Zuko pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, and handed it to Dazel. Dazel unfolded it, and it revealed an unfinished map of the Great Sea. Many islands that Dazel had never seen were drawn on the map-in-progress. At the very top, the map read:  _ Zuko’s Journey of the Great Sea. _

“So you’re an adventurer?” Dazel asked.

Zuko nodded. He let Dazel keep the map, but decided to climb into the crow’s nest. He grabbed the telescope that was up there, and began to stare off into the sea.

The pirates were...confused.

“Is this his way of joining our crew?” Senza asked.

“Heck if I know.” Dazel said with a shrug. “If he’s willing to help us out, I say let him.  **HEY, ZUKO!”**

Zuko pulled the telescope away from his eye to look down at the captain.

**“WELCOME TO THE CREW!”**

Zuko nodded, and Dazel could’ve sworn she saw a smile as well. He went back to looking off into the distance. Nobody bothered him for the rest of the day. They figured if he saw anything worth mentioning, he’d say  _ something. _

That night, Dazel climbed up into the crow’s nest where Zuko was  _ still _ watching the sea.

She offered him a Hyoi Pear. “You haven’t come down to eat.”

Zuko stared at the pear for a moment, then graciously accepted it. After a quick bite, he went straight back to watching the sea.

“Have you seen anything?” Dazel asked.

Zuko shook his head.

“You’ve been up here for hours! You had to have seen  **_something!”_ **

Zuko shook his head again. “All of the islands we’ve passed have been marked on my map. This next island coming up is the last island I marked on the map in this direction.”

“That’s the most you’ve said yet.” Dazel said with a giggle.

Zuko shrugged, took another bite of his Hyoi Pear, then went back to staring off at the moonlit sea.

“If you get sleepy, just ask Gonzo where your room is, k?”

Zuko nodded once more.

Dazel glared at Zuko before climbing down from the crow’s nest. He was a mysterious character, but he’d be alright. “I’m going to bed now, so...good night.”

Zuko peered back at Dazel from the corner of his eye. “Good night.”

  
  



	5. AUTHOR’S NOTE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dazel has come down with an illness.

It’s empty in here...

But seriously, I felt that now wasn’t the appropriate time to post a chapter about someone dying from an illness, and I don’t know when I’ll feel okay posting it. The chapter itself was hard to write, so I don’t want to put that energy out into the world at this moment in time. All I can say is be safe, wear masks, social distance the best you can, stay educated, and f*ck racism.

The next chapter mentions what happens in chapter 5, and is still a bit sad, but doesn’t go into detail. If mentions of death makes you uncomfortable, I HIGHLY advise you to stop here, and I thank you for reading. I will post the 5th chapter when I feel it is appropriate.

Sorry if this messed up the flow of the story, person reading this. 


	6. Tetra and Niko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new captain for The Great Sea Savages emerges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another warning just in case...
> 
> ******************
> 
> WARNING
> 
> MENTIONS OF DEATH
> 
> WARNING
> 
> ******************

Years had rolled by since Dazel’s passing, and things haven’t been the same since. The pirates had no idea how to raise a child, and their parenting strategies were a bit questionable. 

Gonzo was _overprotective_ of Tetra. He never let her walk more than 10 paces away from him. Oftentimes, Tetra would run off just to have some away time, but Gonzo always caught and brought her back to the “circle of protection.”

Nudge wanted Tetra to be strong, so he would workout with her every morning. Sometimes his workouts were a little too intense, which would lead to Gonzo lecturing him as to why little girls should not be bench pressing kegs of Lon Lon Milk. 

Senza wanted Tetra to be witty, so he’d give her advice on how to get things from each of the pirates. When Gonzo noticed that Tetra managed to talk Mako out of his own glasses, Gonzo gave Senza an earful. Senza didn’t stop though. He just taught Tetra how to be _sneakier._

Mako wanted Tetra to be smart. They would study together, build things together, and make potions together. Gonzo saw nothing wrong with it. That is, until he witnessed Tetra almost mix an explosive compound on the ship. Her “study time” was very limited after that.

Zuko? Nobody was sure what he even wanted for himself. Sometimes Tetra would go into the crow’s nest with him, but that was it.

With the help of all of the pirates, Tetra was evolving into quite an ambitious young girl. They started to see more pieces of Dazel in her every day. They also started to see pieces of them in her, which was more or less a good thing. She was naturally wise like her mother, mixing logic and emotion to govern her decisions. She was also a bit of a savage at times, which is expected of someone raised by 5 pirates.

The day that the pirates knew Tetra was ready to fill her mother’s shoes was the day she raided a shop ship at sea. The shop owner’s, a tall, slender man with a short brown afro, guard was let down when he saw a 10-year-old girl leap from the large pirate ship onto his boat. There was also another young man on the boat with blonde hair and large front teeth, presumably another worker. When the shop workers’ guards were completely down, Tetra pulled out her saber.

“Alright, you land lubbing landlubbers!” she battle-cried. “Put the money in the bag! No, put **_everything_ ** in the bag! I want it all!”

The shop workers wanted no trouble at all, so they complied.

Gonzo jumped off the ship behind Tetra. “What did I tell ya about running up on people, Tetra?! These people could’ve been armed and dangerous, yeah?!”

“But they weren’t!” Tetra explained. “There are no weapons on board at all. I checked.” She pointed her blade at the shop workers. “Which is really something you two should look into.”

The shop workers bagged every bomb, bait, pear, arrow, and map they had.

Tetra didn’t look satisfied though. “You there!” She pointed her blade at the younger, blonder man.

“M-m-me?!” he stuttered.

“Yeah, you! What’s your name?!”

“N-Niko-o…”

Tetra sheathed her saber. “We’ll be taking you, too!”

“Wait, huh?!” Niko gasped. “You can’t _take_ me! I’m just the cleaner!”

Tetra winked at Niko, and looked _very_ much like her mother when doing so. “Now you’re **_our_ ** cleaner. Gonzo! Get the bag! And our new cleaner!”

As expected, Niko resisted at first, but he couldn’t overpower Gonzo, Senza, _and_ Nudge.

“Why am I here?!” Niko cried out. “This is wrong on so many levels!”

“‘Cause my name is Tetra Zelda Hyrule, and I’m the Queen of the Great Sea! I do _what_ I want, _when_ I want!” Tetra then yawned. “Raiding is a lot of work...I’m sleepy. Gonzo, make sure Niko swabs the poop deck extra good. I’m takin’ a nap!”

Tetra’s room was now the one her mother once slept in. She climbed into her bed and pulled a small journal out from beneath her pillow. She opened the book to the page bookmarked by her golden triangle necklace, then turned another page. Finally, she grabbed her favorite inked Helmaroc Feather from the bedside table and began to write.

_Dear Mom_

_Today I raided my first ship. And not just that I took the cleaning guy too. I pulled out my saber and everything. I felt like one of the guys in the stories that Gonzo tells me. I wish you were here to see it though. We all miss you and I cant wait to see you again. I would write more but that raid made me sleepy and I wanna sleep now. I love you mom. Good night._

_Lots of love_

_Your little princess_


End file.
